To Whom It May Concern
by Iridescent Reflection
Summary: What happened in Shepherd's Glen? What if, before he left, Alex Shepherd left a letter? What would it say? *Spoiler Warnings*


**A/N**: I'm quite proud of this piece right here as I've _never_ played this game, but I watched a Youtube Walkthrough (by BoffyRox) and just felt the need to write. Ah, I'm not perfect so there may be mistakes. My apologies in advance. This all belongs to Konami.

**Warnings:** I'm really unsure of the rating, so I need a reviewer to tell me right away what it should really be under. There is swearing, though in my opinion not enough to be M. Then again my opinion is different than others'. For now I guess I'll put it under M, but I need someone to tell me if it should really be under T. **SPOILER WARNING**, seriously. I don't know about you, but I've seen the whole walkthrough, so I've seen the whole game. I've got spoilers in here, so don't read it if you want to see this stuff for yourself.

* * *

Elle Holloway and I, Alex Shepherd, are the only survivors and escapees from Silent Hill and the Order. After our departure from Silent Hill and Shepherd's Glen we found some place new and continue to travel to this day.

No place, however, will be far enough from that accursed nightmare that was once called "home."

You'd think that after this horrifying epidemic we'd try to put this all behind us, move on with our lives as if this had never happened. You'd believe that maybe, just maybe, we'd ignore the pulse-pounding, all-too-real nightmares we often awake to, screaming at the top of our lungs in the middle of the night, even if we've left Shepherd's Glen behind. You'd think that one day we'll find that we can look back at this and grimace, just a little grimace, and be done with it instead of breaking out into a cold sweat and reliving the moments that had been most terrifying.

Hell, that's what _we_ thought, too.

I wonder if this all could have been avoided. I suppose it had to have been stopped eventually, but why us? Why me? To have uncovered the town's greatest, darkest secret and throw all order into chaos.

That's all there is, after all; chaos and order.

No longer can we believe like naïve children that there is such a thing as good and evil. The reality of it all if chaos and order.

Every fifty years due to a pact the founding families of Shepherd's Glen had created with the Order, the descendants of the founding families had to sacrifice a child with their own hands. This had gone on in a cycle, passed down from the previous generation, their "chosen one." But I'd ruined all their efforts and sacrifices with a single, simple mistake.

It was supposed to be me, not my little brother Joshua. Because of me, everyone we ever knew and loved is dead.

Mom and Dad, Adam and Lillian Shepherd, had picked Josh to carry on the Shepherd blood line, out-casting me so I could never love, or feel joy and compassion. In fifty years Josh would have had to do the same to his kids; Pick a favorite if there was more than one child, reject the sacrifice by pushing them away from any possible happiness, then kill them. The cycle could have gone on almost forever, I think.

The accident killed this chain though, this cycle of events. The accident where we'd fought over the fucking family ring and Josh had slipped over the edge of the boat, snapping his neck, _crack_, and drowning with the necklace chain clutched in thin fingers as he sank to the bottom of the lake.

I had always thought my parents hated me after Josh had been born. One minute I was loved by both mom and dad, the next minute when Josh is born, I'm a reject. After Josh died I was sent to a mental hospital, the memory became deeply repressed, this making me forget the whole incident and for my brain to conjure up the belief that I was a soldier overseas, injured in battle.

God only knows how this all could have gone had I not believed I was a trained soldier who protected people.

I'd spent my entire return searching for my unknowingly dead brother, only to discover the cold, hard truth. Frankly, the truth had bitch-slapped me to see the disgusting, vile realism of it all.

The truth, you must know, is never kind, nor is it generally pleasant. The truth contained the death of the children who had allegedly gone missing; Nora Holloway, Scarlet Fitch, and Joseph Bartlett.

First up, the unlucky son of the Mayor, Joey Bartlett. The boy had this watch, see? His absolute favorite possession, which I now know had such strong emotional ties that it held part of him. The back of it had engraved in it "Forgive me." From what happened later in the atrium, I'm betting Sam Bartlett wasn't forgiven. As soon as the watch had been tossed uncaringly to the ground by the drunk mayor, Joey arose from a pit in the ground.

Would it be disrespectful to say he reminded me at the time, of a zombie? Yes, he'd been buried alive by his father, and he became Sepulcher. Pulling his head from the ground, I found he'd become some large, rotting 'thing' and basically smashed the living crap out of the man. Joey had become something so grotesque, a thing which seemed to be alive and dead at the exact same time, suffering and burning in the Devil's pit. He looked as if he'd died countless times and was still dying as I gaped at his furious form.

Sepulcher was returned to the hole of which he had arisen from. With him taken care of, I was next faced with Doctor Martin Fitch's sin, Scarlet Fitch, who had been dismembered.

Once upon a time Scarlet carried a doll, which as I recall had once been fairly pretty. She used to have black hair and a dress, but as I found, time had caused her to lose her hair and turn her dress into something that couldn't have even been dubbed as the shabbiest of rags, The girl used to carry the doll around like it was her own child that wasn't going to be sacrificed when the time came.

This doll I'd found in Doc Fitch's office had become damaged beyond recognition, and not quite knowing what to do with it I took it with me as I traveled through Hell's descent. I'd watched as the now mentally unstable man lost his head to the doll that had manifested from his daughter's wrath.

Scarlet had become a porcelain mannequin, twisted beyond all creation, blood thirsty. She moved like her ball-joint doll and refused to have been brought down only once. As I removed her head, she finally found rest. With two of them gone, why stop there? As if I'd been allowed to.

Nora Holloway, younger sister of Elle, had died from Judge Holloway by suffocation. Margaret Holloway told me she had watched the light fade from Nora's eyes, and maybe it was just me, but I thought she sounded proud? Well, Judge Holloway died too, I.e. drill through the head.

Now, asphyxia, or asphyxiation, means to be lacking oxygen, this name given to Nora as it represented the way she had been killed. She'd become so sickeningly twisted, nothing like I'd ever seen before. All the monsters I fought to make my way through; the Needlers, Smogs, Siams, Schisims, or Ferals, couldn't hold a candle to her. Multiple bodies had been melded together with Nora, making her, by far, the most disturbing thing I'd never dreamed of seeing. Hands down, out of the poor children that had returned for blood, Asphyxia had been the most mind-fuckingly twisted. Out of everything I've killed, I couldn't have been happier when Nora let out a final -literally glass shattering- wail.

Now don't get me wrong here. Killing isn't something I'm proud of, but putting Nora Holloway out of the torment she'd endured was….well…would the word relieving work?

And Nora, like the other two children, had her own personal treasure that brought her out. The necklace that her older sister wears today, ever since the morn of Nora's 'disappearance.' I'd wondered what Elle would have thought if she'd seen Nora like this.

I'm sure after hearing this all you could honestly agree that these three could have easily been called the Damned Children, as in, those who had been damned at death. They were unfortunate, and I'm lucky I hadn't joined them. If anything I pray they are happy now that those who had damned them in the first place are eternally burning in Hell.

The three that had been murdered were now, hopefully, resting in peace instead of malingering spitefully on the earth. Was this all that needed to be done? Was this all Josh had been leading me towards? Of course not. Last but not least _was_ Josh.

Joshua Shepherd, who I had to realize in the end had been guiding, leading me through all of this with his semi-disturbing pictures. I'd found them lying about, glancing at them, reading the mysterious, chilling riddles, thinking about Josh.

I met Amnion after viewing the death of my father, who had given me the ring and tried to explain this to me. My father died by a punisher, Pyramid Head, literally cutting him in half.

At the time of facing off with Amnion, I hadn't really seen the head that resembled Lillian, locked in an expression of despair and agony, atop the metallic body of a spider. Spiders sort of made sense for this last fight, this battle with Josh. When we were kids I used to help my brother collect bugs, and for some reason he loved spiders. I never figured out why, exactly, but now I was faced with fighting the angry arachnid which skittered about after me.

Upon slicing the spider's abdomen open, lo and behold…. Josh's corpse tumbled out. With the metal spider dead and curled up as spiders do when they die, I didn't need to worry about disruptions and could focus entirely on Josh.

Lifeless eyes gazed back at me, half-lidded. If I didn't know any better, or if I hadn't uncovered the hidden, buried memories, I could have thought he was sleeping.

His skin was pale and freezing cold. Not surprising considering this corpse had been waiting so long. Not an inch of flesh had rotted. It looked for all the world like he'd climbed out of the lake just yesterday.

"I'm sorry, Josh," I cried, trembling at his lifeless form that lay peacefully before me. I'd before me. I'd been chasing him all this time believing him to have been alive and fleeing from me, and here I see him as I had last, dead.

I could hardly look at his pathetic form knowing it had been entirely and unchangeably my fault, and yet, I couldn't take my eyes off of him for a second.

I looked at the ring, wishing on my life that I could pin the blame on the inanimate object that had flared up the pent up jealousy and spite. He had been too proud that Dad had given it to him and told him not to tell me. I had wanted nothing more than to take his pride and rip it to shreds, then despise him for being the child mom and dad so loved.

"I never meant for this to happen," I told deaf ears, slipping the chain that held the precious ring around the neck. Briefly I'd wondered what I would see if I checked the back of his neck. Maybe I'd see some marking of where his neck hit the boat and snapped. I couldn't bear to do more than lift his head and put the chain on though.

Next I pulled the flashlight from the breast pocket of my jacket. The very same flashlight I'd once handed him to keep that bad dreams away. It was rightfully his, and it was what helped me find all these answers. Clearly Josh was the one who needed this now, more than ever, as he finally had his chance to fins his way to peace. I hoped he found heaven with this flashlight. And mom and dad. "I never meant for this to happen."

"Here buddy…take this…" I'd sobbed when I laid the heavy combination of oddly shaped plastic, metal, and glass on the stiff chest.

How I longed to feel a heart beat, of the rise and fall to indicate breathing! Anything! A sign of life to say he wasn't dead was impossible, but I didn't care. It was what I wanted more than anything at that moment.

But no. Joshua Shepherd had long been dead. Only breathing, talking, living, in my dreams, my uninformed state of mind.

"I forgot... Josh…I'm sorry," I repeated, hoping for forgiveness. Forever would his corpse lie here with the guiding flashlight that assured him safety, and the ring that had been his pride. If only I could have given him a friend to walk with, either me or his toy, Robbie the Rabbit.

I stood, weeping lightly. It was time to go, and I'd never see him again. In my dreams, in my memories, maybe, but that would never be the same as looking down at the still corpse.

If I could take it all back, or even reverse roles, I would gladly have done so. If anyone deserved death, it was I, not Josh.

When my parents' love for me had vanished, and I'd only felt the contempt and envy towards Joshua, I probably wouldn't have ever imagined feeling this, or experiencing this. I wouldn't have been able to because I would have been sacrificed and one of the Damned if I hadn't killed my beloved little brother.

Admittedly my heart feels lighter now and then, and at times I find myself toying with the notion that perhaps, I'd been forgiven. I like to believe that's the reason Josh led me through all of this.

If anyone should find this and question the reason it was written, it is merely left behind for those who may have found themselves in a similar situation I'd been placed in.

Be you a stranger who'd stumbled into this forsaken village, or possibly (but unlikely) a survivor who has escaped Silent Hill and the Order and wonders why this place is desolate, I leave you this note, this information, and let anyone know about the events that transpired in the Otherworld, Shepherd's Glen, and Silent Hill.

I took my last glance at Shepherd's Glen, the birthplace of Josh and I, and the deathbed of many sacrificed to hold the fucking stupid pact of shit. A godforsaken town created solely for Satan's amusement, my home. I used my last return of this place to leave this, this warning and history.

I took the time to look through the nostalgia-filled house, taking this last opportunity to glance at the past once more. Perhaps my sorry had me hallucinating, playing tricks on my sight, but as I took the steps one at a time, towards my old room, I could see water puddles trailing on the way. As I creaked the door open slowly, almost expectantly hesitant, I swear I saw Josh, sitting atop his old bed with a camera. Slyly he grinned, lifting the camera and snapping a photo of me, bewildered, staring like a moron. When the flash ended and my eyes readjusted to the poor light of the gloomy house, Josh was gone. In his place lay the developed photo. There was no other sign of him having been there, so I am forced to assume it was a figment of my imagination. For all I knew the photo could have been lying here before.

I must be deluding myself though. It was because of my mistake and my brother's untimely, accidental death, that this all happened. I may have serendipitously put an end to this insane cycle, (hopefully) cleared the children's vendetta's, and put the sacrificed to rest.

This… is my story, and I hope to God hat it never repeats anywhere. Good luck to the reader(s), though I hope there are none.

-Alex Shepherd

* * *

A family of bunnies

This bunny looks catatonic

A bunny on fire

Three bloody bunnies

A bunny seems to be flailing about in the water

Where is Steven mommy? He can't play and I'm sad. You mustn't ask my darling - Steven has been bad. Billy too, and Sally? Did they do something wrong? I'm afraid it's true, my child - all your friends are gone.

Beware of he who took them - he goes by many names. The Bogeyman, the Shadowed One, but all are he, the same. For ever sin a child has, must be a punishment to bear. Your friends are now beyond our reach; trapped deep within his lair. And if they take what is not theirs, there can be no doubt. He'll stretch their skin until it snaps, and all the blood drains out.

Remember to behave, for sins he won't abide. He wields a rusty, jagged blade to cut out your insides. The lying little children, with souls selfish and small. Will find their wriggling tongues cut out and nailed to his wall.

The bullies and their spiteful wrath will find torments well. Soon he will strike them where they stand and drag them into hell.

Child you must obey your parents; do everything they say. Little ones who do otherwise, he tortures in the flames. Beating cleanse the soul, they say, and that is what he'll do. If you don't control your anger than you'll feel his wrath too. You are your brother's keeper, remember it always. Or else the Bogeyman will chain you underneath the waves. And while good children live, bad ones cannot escape their fate. For once you hear his screeching wail, it's already too late.

So do not cry aloud at night, stay hidden in your bed… Or the Bogeyman from Silent Hill will come chop off your head.

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**A/N**: So I added the Child's Drawings in the end. I set them in a paragraph sort of thing, so, yeah, enjoy those. This whole piece was written from my thoughts after I watched the ending of the game. Boffy chose the UFO ending, and this was kind of based off of the 'good' ending where he and Elle escape. I dunno what I did with Wheeler in here, so, ah well.

I really do need to know if the rating is right. Please tell me, and no flames (though I'm not sure I'd get any?)


End file.
